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CBS will find out if Super Bowl ratings are power-proof

Before the biggest malfunction on the most-watched show all year on U.S. TV, CBS' Super Bowl coverage could be summed up pretty simply: It was safe. And then, what had already seemed like a dimly lit set for

Before the biggest malfunction on the most-watched show all year on U.S. TV, CBS' Super Bowl coverage could be summed up pretty simply: It was safe.

And then, what had already seemed like a dimly lit set for the big show -- it almost seemed like CBS' halftime show was in the dark -- turned into an understandably desperate plea by the network for tens of millions of viewers to stay tuned during a 33-minute power outage of what had been one-sided game.

Weird.

With power out for game announcers Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, sideline reporter (and former NFL player) Steve Tasker got an unexpected turn as the voice of CBS Sports.

The only voice for a while there.

Tasker, however, wasn't lucky all night.

The San Francisco 49ers' Jim Harbaugh, as the losing coach, didn't give Tasker the traditional brief interview outside the locker room after the game -- although CBS got the money shot of Jim meeting winning Baltimore coach John Harbaugh at mid-field after the Ravens' 34-31 victory.

As the most valuable time on TV -- CBS says it sold some 30-second ad spots for more than $4 million -- was losing momentum as the power outage dragged on, CBS' studio crew vamped on-air. Said Shannon Sharpe: "I want to know who's in charge of paying the power bill at the Superdome. Because they didn't put a check in the mail."

CBS' Bill Cowher suggested each team should "try to stay in the moment" and threw out the idea of the 49ers putting in backup quarterback Alex Smith "as food for thought."

Nantz, after the lights came back on, said, "Since the power outage there's no energy coming from the Ravens."

After some delay, CBS issued a statement: "Immediately after the power failure in the Superdome, we lost numerous cameras and some audio powered by sources in the Superdome. We utilized CBS's back-up power and at no time did we leave the air. … All commercial commitments during the broadcast are being honored."

Thank goodness.

Nantz, to Simms, had a more practical suggestion: "Next time you decide to put in your phone charger, give us a warning."

But until the lights went out CBS' coverage was fairly predictable. To be fair, the network should get some credit for not overplaying the Harbaugh brother storyline and avoiding obsessing about Baltimore's Ray Lewis playing his final game.

Simms, while an easy analyst to listen to, wasn't overly opinionated.

After Baltimore ran a first-half fake field goal play, and CBS came back from a commercial break, the first thing Nantz said was, "How about that (field goal) call." To which Simms replied, "I'm not even going to second-guess that call."

A few minutes later, after another commercial break, Simms finally did offer his two cents.

The hours of pregame coverage followed the usual formula, but there were some highlights.

One came when CBS' Sharpe pressed Baltimore's Lewis on his involvement in two murders in 2000, in which Lewis plead guilty to a misdemeanor.

Lewis' answers brought some zingers from pregame analyst Boomer Esiason. After listening to Lewis try to explain himself, including references to a calling from God, Esiason said, "I'm not so sure I'm buying the answer."

The 49ers rallying definitely turned the game into a pretty good show. But with the power outage, the answer CBS really awaits will be off this question: Are Super Bowl TV ratings power-proof?